On the challenges of Angular Momentum Transfer Mechanism of Pulsar Glitches

TL;DR

This paper reviews the superfluid theory of pulsar glitches, discussing its strengths and limitations, and examines recent analyses that challenge its adequacy in explaining glitch phenomena.

Contribution

The paper critically evaluates the superfluid angular momentum transfer theory, highlighting its shortcomings and discussing alternative explanations for pulsar glitches.

Findings

Superfluid theory explains some aspects of pulsar glitches.

Recent analyses question the sufficiency of angular momentum transfer models.

Observational evidence suggests alternative mechanisms may be involved.

Abstract

The angular momentum transfer mechanism of pulsar glitches for over four decades now stands as standalone theory with regards to glitch sizes and inter-glitch time intervals. However, recent analyses both analytic and statistical are on the verge of suppressing the theory. In this paper, we overviewed the superfluid theory to highlight the efficacy of the angular momentum process and highlighted the theoretical and observational evidences that could not be explained by processes involving transfer of angular momentum.